Vijay Yanamadala, MD, a Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare neurosurgeon, performed New England's first awake spinal fusion, according to a Nov. 15 News12 report.
Dr. Yanamadala performed the three-hour surgery on Oct. 1 at Saint Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn., according to the report.
Due to a severe reaction to general anesthesia, the 82-year-old patient sought awake spinal surgery as treatment for a debilitating spine disability. Physicians said she fully recovered in "a few weeks," according to the report.